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Natural healing: The importance of Omega 3

We have working through some aspects of nutrition for the last few weeks. Today we will finish that topic by covering the importance of Omega 3’s. Omega 3’s are fatty acids that have a whole host of positive side effects.

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Natural healing: The importance of Omega 3

We have working through some aspects of nutrition for the last few weeks.

Today we will finish that topic by covering the importance of Omega 3’s. Omega 3’s are fatty acids that have a whole host of positive side effects. When we talk about the importance of healthy fats, you may be taken by surprise. I

n the last decade a much more positive light as been shed on good fats, but for years fats were considered unhealthy. The big fact about fats, as about most everything, is balance. In the world of omega fats, most conversation focus on two types, omega 3 and omega 6. The average American diet has lots of omega 6’s fat. Omega 6 fats is commonly found in corn and corn oil, as well as many other staples of the average American diet. Omega 3’s on the other hand are mainly found in fish, less a staple of the average American diet.

Now omega 6’s are not bad, but typically the balance between omega 6 and 3 is significantly off. Now let me introduce another term, arachidonic acid, which is a common form of omega 6. In very oversimplified terms, arachidonic acid forms the chemical basis of inflammation in the body. Omega 3 forms the basis for anti-inflammatory chemistry in the body. So for our purposes, arachidonic acid equals inflammation, omega 3 equals anti-inflammatory.

We need inflammation, and we need to be able to turn off inflammation. In normal, healthy humans the ratio between arachidonic acid and omega 3 is 1 to 1. This 1 to 1 ratio gives us the chemical structure to turn on and off inflammation.

However, the average American has 14 to 25 times the amount of inflammatory arachidonic acid compared to anti-inflammatory omega 3. This sets the chemical stage for massive inflammatory responses which are extremely difficult for the body to turn off.

What is the effect of relative deficiency of omega 3? Well, to start off, the Journal of the American Medical Association publish in 2013 that deficiency of omega 3 caused an increase in the rate of aging by 65 percent. The Journal of Nutrition and Health in 2006 publish a study that suggested that properly balanced omega 3 would prevent most psychological episodes. Because inflammation is linked to almost all disease, from skin to joints, to neurological, it makes sense to maintain properly balanced inflammatory chemistry. If you are interested in knowing what your omega 3 to arachidonic acid level is, simple lab tests are available.

Dr. Joseph Fraley D.C. is the owner of Alpha Omega Chiropractic at 106 Alpine Village Rd. Contact him at 575-258-5999.